It was his third career walk-off home run, but more than that it was his third three-run home run in two nights, fueling back-to-back wins, in a game where the starting pitchers were locked into a staredown.

Clay Buchholz and Jose Quintana battled for eight innings, Buchholz tossing one-run ball while Quintana worked on a shutout most of the night. Quintana refused to flinch, going eight strong innings, silencing a Red Sox offense that had come up with 14 hits Wednesday night.

Neither did Buchholz, who for the second straight start since he was put on the disabled list June 24 with esophagitis, pitched well enough to win. He gave up six hits, struck out six (four on called strikes) and by and large stayed out of jams, never facing more than the five he saw in the fourth inning, when Adam Dunn scored on Alex Rios's sacrifice fly.

But the game ultimately rested with Matt Thornton, who had been trying to prove since spring that he was worthy of the job as the White Sox's closer.

Although they had been hot all series, Jacoby Ellsbury and Carl Crawford went a combined 1 for 8. Ellsbury was 0 for 2 with a runner in scoring position, striking out in the third and grounding out to short in the eighth. Carl Crawford led off the fourth, seventh, and ninth innings, grounding out twice.